StarCraft: Stargazers
by Hawki
Summary: Oneshot: From the moment Man climbed down from the trees, he had looked up to the stars. On Tarsonis, even if the stars were different, he could do the same.


**Stargazers**

_Where the hell are you Mengsk?_

As he walked around the skeleton of the crashed ship, Ian knew the answer technically – somewhere on top of the _Nagglfar_. Problem was, "on top of the _Nagglfar_" was a pretty vague statement, considering that the ship was over half a kilometre long. Granted, climbing on top of the ship could have made things a bit easier for him, but that would be too dangerous for his liking. The ship had survived atmospheric entry, as well as the crash, but some sections had fared worse than others. So he was resigned to just walking around the ship's base, hoping to find his fellow commander.

_There you are._

He was at the front of the ship. Standing there. Still using that damned telescope of his. Gritting his teeth, Ian began climbing up the rope ladder that had been set up – one of many around the edge of the _Nagglfar _to allow people to climb up and down with ease. When they'd first arrived on this planet, the crew had wanted vantage points in the case of any approaching danger.

_I'll show you approaching danger, _Ian thought as he kept climbing.

But it hadn't appeared. Of all the species that they'd encountered on Tarsonis so far, none had been of the size or temperament to pose a threat to them. Most of the time they'd either run or flown away. Tarsonis was like Earth in more ways than one apparently – not just in gravity or atmospheric composition, but in the local wildlife as well.

Of course, Ian reflected as he reached the top of the ship, if they were on Earth, he wouldn't be able to think about any similarities. If he'd stayed on Earth, he'd be dead.

"Mengsk."

So would the man before him, looking up to the night sky through his telescope.

"Mengsk!"

A man who wasn't even giving him a glance, or any other acknowledgement of his presence.

Ian sighed. "Aurelius, come on. You know it's me."

The man grunted, but nonetheless withdrew his eye from the telescope to look at Ian. "You know I hate that name."

"Course I do. That's how I got your attention."

"Yes, attention. Have far better things to focus my attention on." He returned to stargazing.

"Actually you do have better things to focus your attention on," Ian said.

"Bet I do."

"Rations. Scouting. Infrastructure. Social order. That sort of stuff."

"That's my day job."

"Actually, it's your twenty-seven/seven job," Ian said. "Same as for all of us."

Mengsk grunted. "Twenty-seven/seven. Doesn't quite have the same ring to it."

"Yeah, well, day's three hours longer on this planet, and since we're never going home, better get used to it." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a data chip. "Go over this. I want them submitted to the Command Wing within the next two days."

Mengsk grunted again.

"I'd prefer it if you started now to make up for lost time."

Mengsk grunted.

"For God's sake Mengsk…" He put the data chip in the man's pocket. "Just do it, alright?"

"Fine." Mengsk looked back at him. "I'll get it done."

"Good. Make sure of it," Ian said.

A silence lingered between the two men. Complete silence. There wasn't even the sound of insects here. The nights of Tarsonis were silent bar whatever noises the aliens known as Man made.

"Anything else?" Mengsk asked.

Ian shrugged. "Not yet."

"Good." He returned to his stargazing.

Ian knew that was his cue to leave. If Mengsk didn't get his work done within the next two days, he might need another talk (possibly down the barrel of a gun), but until then…well, until then, the people of the _Nagglfar _would keep on doing what they were always doing. Building. Whining. Threatening rebellion. The Command Wing had the backing of ship security (a fancy word for "people who knew how to use guns"), but Ian knew how revolutions worked. Get people angry enough, they could do anything. That was how the UPL had come to power after all – get angry, do terrible things, get the whole world angry, send the angriest out to space to die. People like him and Mengsk. People like everyone on the colony ships.

"Do you think they're out there?" Ian asked eventually.

Mengsk didn't say anything.

"The other ships. Is that why you've been coming up here each night to stargaze? Making some bid to find them?"

Mengsk said nothing.

"Y'know, you never explained how you were able to get a telescope on a prison ship anyway."

Mengsk looked at him and smirked. "We're part of the assigned Command Wing for the _Nagglfar_, right?"

Ian shrugged.

"Comes with privileges."

Ian snorted. "Sure as hell didn't get any privileges."

"You're a commander. That's privilege in of itself."

"Oh yeah, sure." He sighed. "Much rather have my old privileges back on Earth, thanks."

Mengsk frowned, but nonetheless returned to his telescope.

"You didn't answer my question," Ian said. "The other ships. You think they're out there?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe. That's all you've got?"

Mengsk sighed. He stood up straight and looked down at Ian – being taller, older, and bearded had its own set of privileges Ian reflected. "You think we haven't been trying to look for the other ships?"

"Who's _we_, Mengsk?"

"I work during the day. We includes me."

"Course it does."

Mengsk chuckled.

"What?"

"Ian, you may be among the Command Wing, but let's be honest – you're not among the best of the best."

"And you are?"

"I find time to complete my assigned tasks during the day, and pave the way for the future at night. You, on the other hand…" He trailed off.

"Yes?"

"Sorry. I was thinking of something you actually did."

"Astro-navigation. That was my job back at Earth, it's my job here."

"And I'm sure a hundred years from now, the fruit of your loins will be great navigators. Until then though, we're stuck on Tarsonis, and astro-navigation is a skill we hardly need." Mengsk began packing up his telescope. "To be honest, I don't think it matters about the other ships. They're not on Tarsonis, so if they are out here in this corner of space, we're not going to find out for decades. Centuries maybe."

"Then why look for them?"

Mengsk snorted. "Who said I'm looking for them? I'm looking at the stars."

Ian blinked. "At the stars."

"Yes, at the stars. It's what our ancestors did after all. Looked up at the stars. Charted them."

"Yeah, but…we're not on Earth."

"No. We're not." Mengsk paused, before asking, "tell me honestly Ian – do you want to go back?"

"We both know I'd be dead if I did."

"For argument's sake, let's say the UPL has collapsed, or would grant you clemency, or any other twist of fate would allow you to keep breathing the air of Terra Firma. If you could go back to Earth right this second, would you do so?"

Ian remained silent. Not to spite Mengsk, but because he didn't know the answer.

Earth was…well, Earth. Even before the UPL came to power, it had been a bit of a shithole. Overpopulated, under-resourced, constant strife between its nation-states as they squabbled over what was left. He knew that centuries ago, there'd been the promise of extra-planetary colonization, but that had fallen on the wayside. He'd worked on a scrap freighter, helping clear up the debris field that surrounded Earth due to decades of space wastage, but some embezzlement of funds here, a fascist government there, and bingo – "here's a ship, you're a commander, don't let the airlock hit you on the way out."

And yet he missed it. Earth had been his home for 37 years. Chances were he wouldn't last half that amount of time on Tarsonis. Planet seemed pleasant enough, but "seemed" was the operative word. Chances were he was as good as dead already due to an unknown pathogen.

"Ian?"

He shrugged. "Maybe."

"Maybe." Mengsk sighed. "Okay then."

"Well what about you? Would you go back?"

"No."

"No? Just like that?"

"No." He gestured up at the stars. "New world, new stars. I get to be here at the birth of a new civilization."

"Is that a fancy way for saying you can't go back because you'd be executed?"

Mengsk chortled and held up his right arm – a cybernetic one. "Not exactly funny, but yes. I'm what the UPL calls a threat to the human species because I've sullied the purity of mankind through embracing the repugnancy of cybernetics. Out here though…" He took in a breath, as if sniffing the air after a thunderstorm. "Out here though…I'm free. I've landed among the stars, and I get to see new ones." He gestured up to the night skies – thousands of stars shone down, all visible due to the lack of any significant light pollution. "I can't see a single constellation like back home. And you know what? I'm not the least bit upset about that. Why, I've even got four moons to examine."

He gestured up at the two that were visible tonight. Ian, for his part, didn't look up – they were full. They reflected too much light. They were either too big or too small. Earth had had one moon, and that was enough for him.

He missed it, in spite of everything. And Mengsk must have seen that because as he headed back for the ladder, he patted him on the shoulder.

"Cheer up Ian. Century or two from now, there'll be a university named after you. You'll be remembered forever as one of the founders of a new world." He chuckled. "Ian Duke University. Doesn't that sound nice?"

Ian squirmed – as Mengsk hated his first name, he hated his second. "Duke." Ridiculous. He wasn't a duke, and as far as he was aware, no-one in his family had been. A family that were all likely dead now. The UPL wasn't averse to the concept of guilt by association.

"Night Ian." Mengsk began walking down the ladder. "Think of this as an opportunity."

"I will. Just get your work done."

Mengsk grunted again and kept climbing down.

_Asshole._

Ian sat down on the cold metal of the _Nagglfar_. Named after a ship of the dead from an Earth mythology, it so far hadn't lived up to its namesake. But that could change. It could all change. For all he knew, aliens could turn up tomorrow and tell the humans of Tarsonis to piss off down the barrels of laser guns. Or maybe they'd erupt from below like mole people. Or-

_Fuck it._

He slammed his palm against the ship's hull. He hated this. Hated the UPL. Hated having to leave home. Hated it all.

And sitting there, looking up at the stars, the moons, the darkness…

It offered him no comfort.


End file.
